Remember Our Names
by pcelvmsc024
Summary: Meet Nathon, Carson, Kit, and Ariel. They're 4 students attending Juilliard School of Performing Arts.. The school that anyone interested in theater wants to attend. Follow them through the 4 most amazing years of their life, and beyond that.
1. Intro

Welcome to Juilliard.  
The school where nobody is a nobody.  
Where everyone has their special talents.

And introducing;  
Kit Phoeler.  
Ariel Hutchinson.  
Nathon Rivers.  
and Carson White.

You will be following these 4 students through their life at Juilliard.  
From the auditions, to the fights, to the tears, to the graduation, and to much more.

You'll learn to love them, and you'll learn to hate them. You'll know when to be on their side, and you'll know when you should be against them.

So, let the journey begin....


	2. Chapter 1

Kit tapped her feet nervously as she sat in the hardwood chair.  
"Breathe…" She whispered to herself. She looked around the room and saw all of the students looking over their script, which was a smart idea considering Kit hadn't looked over her own since she stepped foot in the building. She was too busy doing breathing excises or pacing back and forth.  
This was it. Audition day for the Juilliard School of Performing Arts. It had always been her dream to attend this school; do you still wonder why she was so nervous?  
The girl sitting next to her turned in her seat so she was facing Kit, looking annoyed.  
"Could you please stop that?!" She motioned towards Kit's foot.  
She nodded, stopping mid-tap.  
The main door opened, and a lady in her mid-50's stepped out. "Group Four, you're up. Good luck!" She stepped aside so the people could pile in, Kit being one of them.

Ariel was reading her scene for what seemed like the hundredth time. She was going to become an amazing actress at this school, she knew it. She was facing the stage, waiting for her group to be called up so she could finally audition. As she finished reading the last of her lines, a girl stepped in front of her.  
"Is that seat taken?" The girl asked shyly. Ariel shook her head and moved her bag over to make more room.  
"I'm Kit." She announced as she sat down.  
"Ariel."  
Kit turned her gaze straight ahead, feeling awkward. Was everyone at this school so anti-social?  
After a few minutes, Ariel got tired of the tension. "Do you want to rehearse lines?" She asked, hopeful. She waited as Kit grabbed her own script out of her bag and nodded, starting to read.  
"What are you talking about, dear May?..."

"Nice job, kid." Nathon looked up to see a kid he had met earlier walking toward the exit. He nodded a thank you and took a sip of his water, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He had just performed the first part of his audition and he was feeling pretty confident.  
Grabbing his bags, he walked toward the back doors of the auditorium and entered, finding a seat near the back to watch the other performances. As of now, a girl was doing a modern ballet routine, and she was good. Really good. Nathon moved a few rows up to get a better look. She did a perfect spilt in the air and landed, spinning in a 360 degrees circle. The music ended, and she walked toward the front of the stage.  
"Great job, Carson. Take a seat and we'll call you up again soon." The girl smiled in satisfaction and walked off the stage, Nathon running down the aisle to catch up with her.

Kit stuffed her script in her bag and walked off the stage. The judges said that she did an excellent job, which was a sign. She smiled as she reached Ariel.  
"Good job." She complimented her.  
Ariel turned towards her. "Thank you, you did great." With that, she picked up her pace. Kit didn't bother catching up with her; instead she turned the corner so she could fill up her water bottle at the fountain.  
"How'd you do?" A boy said from behind her.  
"I think I did pretty well." She answered, not turning around. "And you?"  
"I'm confident. You're an actress, I'm guessing?"  
She nodded, looking behind her shoulder. "Dancer?"  
He nodded too. "Well, good luck."  
"You too." She smiled, walking away.

Nathon watched the girl walk off, and stepped up to the fountain to fill up his own bottle. He had finished the second part of auditions, so now he was free to go. In a few weeks he'd be getting his letter to say if he had been accepted or not, along with everyone else who had auditioned. Now, all he had to do was think of ways for time to go faster as he waited for that letter.


	3. Chapter 2

Kit bounced down the stairs as she heard her stepmother; Nicole calling her name. She walked through the front living room, passing her dad who had his attention only on the Yankees game, like always, and entered the kitchen.  
"You have mail." Nicole handed her an issue of Seventeen, which Kit threw on the counter, and a small envelope. She flipped it over and read the return address.  
"It's from Juilliard…" she said quietly. She saw her dad mute the television as she took a seat at the table and tore it open. Taking a few deep breaths, she unfolded the paper.  
"Dear Stella Phoeler…" She read aloud. She looked at Nicole, who nodded her head, silently telling her to go on.  
"We are pleased to tell you that you have been accepted to the Juilliard School of Performing Arts!" She let out a small scream and pushed the chair away from the table, standing up so she could dance around the kitchen.  
Nicole grabbed the letter from her and continued reading, smiling. "You start in one week!" She announced.

Mostly everyone else's story was the same. Once they read the acceptance letter, they'd get congratulated by their parents, go out to dinner to celebrate, and start packing right away.  
Except for one girl…

Ariel reached into the mailbox and pulled out the few letters that it contained, then started walking back toward the house.  
Once inside, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and instantly froze. Her father came into the room, and she knew the drill. She quickly handed him the mail-which he grabbed away from her with great force-and backed away. As he looked through it, his expression changed from boredom to amusement. Giving Ariel a hard look, he set the letters onto the table, still holding one.  
"Look who's got mail today…" He snickered, opening it. She took a step forward, knowing what it was.  
"Dear Ariel Hutchinson," He read in a mocking voice. "We are pleased to tell you that you have been accepted to the Juilliard School of Performing Arts…" Ariel tried not to smile at the news, and with the look on her father's face, she didn't have to try very hard. He took a step toward her and waved the letter in the air.  
"What is this?!" He yelled.  
"I auditioned for Juilliard." She answered.  
He took a hold of her arms, and squeezed them tightly. "Did I ever give you permission to do that?!"  
She winced in pain. "You never told me I couldn't! I just wanted to try it; I never thought I'd actually get accepted." She argued, knowing the last part was a lie.  
He pushed her back against the wall. "I don't know why they'd ever want to accept a piece of crap like you!"  
Ariel tried to stop the tears from coming. "At least I'll finally be out of your life, and you'll be out of mine." She looked him in the eyes. "I hate you!"  
The next thing she knew, her father's hard hand was slapping her across the face.


	4. Chapter 3

Nathon slid his key card into the slot and opened the door to his new dorm. He looked around the mid-sized room and grinned. He couldn't believe he was actually here, at Juilliard. In his own dorm, at Juilliard. He had a single dorm, so he wouldn't be sharing with anybody.  
Dropping his bag onto the floor, he opened his phone, seeing two new texts from Declan. Replying to both, he then threw his phone onto the bed, so he could explore the campus without interruptions.

---  
Carson closed her door and looked around the hallway, seeing people carrying their luggage and trying to open their dorms with doing so. She noticed a guy walking toward the lobby so decided to follow him, thinking that maybe he was giving himself a tour as well.  
As she ran down the hallway trying to catch up, she saw a lot of her favorites from the auditions. Remembering that she'd hope so many of them would get in, she smiled to herself.  
The boy looked over his shoulder and Carson slowed to a walk.  
"You're showing yourself around, right?" She asked.  
"Yea." He responded. "Want to join?"  
She told him yes, and walked by his side.  
"I'm Nathon."  
"Nice to meet you, Nathon. I'm Carson."  
He looked at her and smiled. "I remember you. I'm really glad you made it in. You're an awesome dancer." She was the girl that Nathon had been watching at auditions, silently cheering her on.  
Carson smiled. "Thanks. I wish I could say the same, but I don't think we auditioned together, so I wouldn't know how good you are."  
"Well, I'm here aren't I? That must mean I'm pretty damn good." He laughed.  
"I guess it counts for something. I'll just have to keep an eye on you, to see if you're as good as you think." She said as they passed one of the many dance studios. They stopped and looked into the window, watching a few girls rehearse a ballet routine.  
"So much better than the dance studio in my town…" Carson said.  
"I'd hope so." Nathon commented. "I guess we'll just have to meet her after hours, you know, to give each other a few pointers."  
"I don't need any pointers." She joked. "But that sounds good."

Kit tossed her luggage onto her bed and faced Ariel, her new roommate.  
"I swear I have a year's worth of—Ariel! I'm so glad to see you here!"  
Ariel gave her a small smile. "Hey, you too! Kit, right?"  
Kit nodded and began unpacking her things. "It's unbelievable, that I'm here. I never would've thought I'd actually make it in. It's been such a busy week, getting ready and everything."  
"I know, right?" Ariel responded. It had definitely been a busy week for her as well. She had to avoid her father at all costs, always spending the night at a friend's. Yesterday, when she had come home to pack her things, her father caught her and they had had a huge fight, probably the biggest argument they've had in the six years since her mother died. She could tell how much he didn't want her to come here, but she wouldn't listen. This was her dream. She closed her eyes at the memory and ran her hand down her arm, feeling one of the many bruises she had received from him.  
"Are you alright?" Kit asked, sensing her tense up.  
She jumped. "Yea, yea I'm fine." She walked over to her suitcase and began unpacking as well.


	5. Chapter 4

"Excuse me, sorry." Kit kept repeating as she pushed her way through the crowd to her first class.  
"What's up with the crowd?" Nathon, who she had met earlier this morning, yelled. "Don't these people need to go to class too?"  
Kit just shrugged. She had 10 seconds before the final bell rang, and luckily she had just made it to the doors of the drama classroom.  
"See you later!" She yelled to Nathon, who waved as he ran to his own class.  
The bell rang just as she entered the drama room. Most of her classes were focused around the performing arts, but she still had to take some "normal" classes, like Math and English. Those were the classes that she wouldn't mind being late to.  
She took a seat next to a girl who she recognized from her dorm floor. Kit grinned at the girl and faced the front of the room, where the teacher was beginning the lesson. Halfway through, she told everyone to find a partner and practice the mirror exercise; when you had to copy the movements your partner did. Kit looked around the room, knowing that Ariel wasn't in the class.  
"Partners?" The girl who she was sitting next to suggested.  
She nodded. "You're from my floor, right? I'm Kit."  
"Yea, I've seen you around. I'm Danielle."  
They began the exercise, Kit following Danielle. She laughed at one of the faces she had to repeat, and decided to make conversation.  
"So, you're an actress?" She guessed.  
Danielle shook her head. "Barely. I'm a singer, but my agent made me take some acting classes, to practice. Or something like that." She shrugged.  
Kit stared at her. "You have an agent?"  
She nodded as if Kit had just asked her if two plus two was four.  
"Whoa…you must be good."  
"I guess. Singing, at least. Not so sure about the acting."  
"Let me hear you sing." Kit challenged her.  
"Right now?"  
She nodded.  
"But what…"  
"It's a performing arts school. The teacher won't care. Besides, we all have done these mirror exercises about a million times in our lives."  
Danielle gave her a hard look, but decided to take the dare. She stood up on her chair, looking around.  
"I want you to want me…" She began to sing.  
"I can't hear you." Kit whispered.  
"I want you to want me…" She tried again, this time louder. People looked at her, including the teacher, who hadn't said anything, just watched.  
"I need you, to need me. I'd love for you to love me, oh I'm begging you to beg me."  
A kid stood up from his seat and decided to join in. "Shine up your old brown shoes,"  
"Put on a brand new shirt." Another continued.  
"Get home early from work if you say,"  
"That you love me!" Danielle finished.  
Pretty soon, the whole class was dancing along, singing a line or two, and keeping the beat going by tapping their pencils. Everyone had their eyes on Danielle, though. No wonder she had an agent, she was amazing.  
She finished the last note and looked down at Kit nervously. Everyone in the room started to cheer, hyped up.  
"Wow." Was all Kit could say. "I think I'm going to like it here…"


	6. Chapter 5

The students shuffled nervously into the dance studio for their 5th class. They took their seats on the floor at the left side of the room and chatted while they waited for the professor.  
"Carson!" Someone yelled as she walked into the room. Seeing Nathon wave her over, she smiled and walked toward him.  
"Hey," She greeted as she sat down.  
"What's up?" He asked her.  
"Nothing, just getting settled. Do you like it here so far?"  
"Absolutely. I've had the best classes so far. The professors are awesome, and so are the students—"  
As Nathon rambled on, Carson took the time to take off her shoes. Her feet were aching from all the walking she had to do, so she was glad she finally got the chance to give them a break, if only to get more blisters from her yet-to-be-worn-in dance shoes.  
As she finished, the teacher came in and gave the class a once over.  
"Hello class, my name is Mr. Harrington. Today, we'll be doing a little freestyle, just to see what type of dance is the best for each person, and all that jazz." He paused for a moment to shuffle through some mix CDs he had brought it. "It will be a different song for each person, so let's begin."  
Everyone started chatting excitedly and Mr. Harrington had to quiet them down before he could continue.  
"Carson White, you're first." Carson grinned and stood up, walking toward the front of the room.  
'In The Ayer' started playing throughout the room, and she smiled to herself. Of course she knew this song; she and her friends back home had made their own dance routine with it for a school's talent show. She jumped to the beat and then began the routine, not missing a step. Her friends were pretty good dancers, so the routine wasn't amateur.  
The class cheered her on as she did a quick spin and a flip, landing on time to the beat. She did some more moves that were fit to be in a professional street crew, and as the song stopped, she ran back over to her seat.  
Mr. Harrington clapped with the rest of the students. "Well done, Ms. White! Next will be Nathon Rivers."  
Nathon walked to the front of the room and waited for his song to come on. But when a classical came on, he stood perfectly still.  
"Um, what is this?" He asked.  
"Why it's Beethoven, of course." Mr. Harrington answered, smiling.  
Nathon gave him a hard look, making sure he wasn't kidding. When he knew he wasn't, he took a step back; he knew what to do.  
He put his arms up and whirled around the floor, just like he used to when he was little. With a bit of the song, he did a small waltz with himself, enjoying the moment. The class was laughing, which gave him more confidence. By the end, he felt sure enough to add some jazz hands in.  
He twirled over to the professor with a grin on his face. "How'd I do?" He asked.  
"Nathon…" He began.  
"What? It was original! And it was pretty good for a song like that." He made a face.  
"You're right but—" Mr. Harrington couldn't help but crack a smile. He sighed, "You're right. Very well then, go take your seat."  
Nathon turned and walked back over to where he was sitting, next to Carson.  
"That was…interesting." She laughed.  
"You know you're jealous of my mad skills." He smirked.  
"Yea, but but but…" She gave up and sighed. "I know."  
He smiled and leaned back to watch the other dancers.


	7. Chapter 6

**We Won't Forget**

**Chapter #6**

"Um…8!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Only an 8!? I'd give him at least a 9." Kit laughed. The two girls were currently hanging at Starbucks during their day off, and decided to play a small game of rating the guys that passed them.

"No, his eyebrows were too bushy." Ariel explained. Kit just rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh.

"Whoa…that's a 10." Ariel nodded her head toward the entrance, where she saw Carson and a boy walking in.

"Lucky Carson…" Kit mumbled. The three girls had grown fairly close in the past week, for Carson had been spending a lot of her time in their dorm, claiming she was too lonely in the one-person room. They didn't mind the least; Carson was a friendly girl who had great advice on how to make it to the top.

"Hey girls!" Carson greeted, walking towards them.

"Hey!" They said in unison.

"This is Nathon; he's in a lot of my dance classes. I told him he could tag along." She explained, motioning toward the boy who they had just rated a 10.

"Hi Nathon, I'm Kit." She greeted, shaking his hand. Ariel did the same.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Carson asked, taking a seat. They all shrugged and became silent as they went over ideas.

"Let's go ice-skating!" Nathon suggested.

"Ice-skating?" Carson questioned.

"What? It's fun!" He grinned.

"I've never been ice-skating…" Kit admitted sheepishly.

"Well then, let's go!" Nathon stood up from the table and walked toward the door, the girls following him.

--

Kit leaned against the wall separating the ice from the solid ground, watching her friends and sipping her hot chocolate. She had lived in the city for 8 years, but she had never gone ice-skating when her parents or siblings went. She was afraid to.

"Kit!" She broke out of her thoughts to see Nathon skating toward her. "Get out here!"

"I can't!" She laughed. "I'm…afraid."

"It only looks scary. Come on; I'll help."

"Promise you won't laugh?" She asked.

"I can't promise you that." He smirked while she stepped onto the ice in her skates. She tried to steady herself, and skated a few feet until beginning to fall. Luckily, Nathon was behind to catch her. She smiled up at him, but he looked away from her instead.

"I think I'll get it…" She pushed away from him gently, slightly hurt by his reaction. She glided across the ice, and it got easier with each stride. She heard laughter from behind them and turned to see Carson and Ariel skating toward them.

"I haven't done this in so long!" Ariel giggled, trying to stop herself. She skated over to the wall and sat down, Carson taking a seat beside her.

"How are you doing, Miss Kit?" Carson asked.

"I'm doing okay." She grinned. "I'll have a few crashes today, though. But Nathon is helping." She nudged him. He smiled slightly, but when she looked back at Carson, she was giving her a small glare.

_What the hell?_

Ariel felt the tension between the three of them, and sat up. "Um, let's skate around the rink one more time before taking a break for some hot chocolate?" She suggested. Everyone snapped out of their trance and agreed.

Carson jumped down from the wall, skating past Kit and Nathon without saying another word. He soon skated away from them as well, catching up to her.

"Ariel…" Kit whispered when Carson and Nathon weren't in hearing distance.

"I don't know what's going on." She answered honestly. Why was Carson acting all defensive towards Kit suddenly?

They reached the small exit gate, and pulled off their skates, switching them for their sneakers before they walked over to the small concession stand. They ordered and took their drinks, sitting down on a bench a few feet away where the other two had already claimed a seat. They sat down and they were all mingling in a matter of seconds.

They were on the topic of how things have changed since they began attended Juilliard in minutes, and it was Ariel's turn for her story.

"Not much as changed, I guess. I just know that I'm glad to finally be away from my father…" she commented.

"Why's that?" Kit asked, suddenly suspicious. She remembered that mark on her arm on their first day. Had Ariel's father done that?

"Oh, he's just so suffocating." She answered, lying slightly. They all nodded in understanding.

They moved onto another topic before Kit stood up to throw her cup away, and Carson followed her. Kit looked the other way, suddenly feeling guilty, but she didn't know why.

"Do you like Nathon?" Carson suddenly asked.

She had been caught off guard, so she stuttered before fully answering. "Wh-what? No…"

"Kit, you need to know something before you um…fall too deep, I guess."

"I'm not falling into anything, Carson." She glowered at her.

"Just, listen to me." Kit nodded for her to continue. "Nathon…he's gay."


	8. Chapter 7

**Remember Our Names**

**Chapter #7**

Kit stared at Carson, feeling so embarrassed. How could she not see it? Nathon was gay. She hadn't known him for more than 24 hours, but there were signs, she assumed; though she couldn't think of any herself.

"I figured." She lied, keeping her head down.

"I'm sorry, Kit." Carson whispered, and she truly sounded concerned. "I just thought that you already knew…"

Kit shrugged and forced herself to smile. "No, it's no big deal." She could tell by the look on Carson's face that she wasn't buying it. "Look, I have to go back to my dorm. I need to study some lines and finish homework before tomorrow. I'll talk to you later." She started backing away.

Carson nodded, and turned away to catch up with Nathon and Ariel again.

--

(*A Few Days Later*)

Kit hummed to herself as she climbed up the stairs towards her dorm. She took a sip of her soda as she turned the corner, reaching the hallway at which her dorm was located.

As she reached her door, she found that it was unlocked; Ariel must've already finished lunch. She walked in, but only to find Ariel on the end of her bed, head in her hands; crying.

"Ariel?" She questioned, setting her soda on her desk and sitting next to her friend. "What's wrong?"

"My…my dmore...

ad." Ariel whispered; her face still buried in her hands. Kit raised her eyebrows, waiting for Ariel to continue. She was suspicious about the relationship Ariel had with her father, after she noticed several scars and bruises upon Ariel's body. Ariel usually covered them in defense whenever she talked about her father, but she didn't realize that Kit knew about it.

"What about your dad?" She urged on.

"He's making me come home for the weekend.." She explained slowly.

"Is that a bad thing?" Kit played stupid.

Ariel shook her head. "No, no." She lied. "He just…he wants to try to convince me to drop out." She didn't mention how he was going to 'convince her'; by beating her.

"Why does he care? He's not the one attending the school…" Kit contemplated.

"He doesn't want me to be successful." Ariel answered, finally lifting her head up so she could look ahead.

Kit put her arm around Ariel and gave her a one-arm hug. "How could he not want that? He needs to realize that with your talent, you will be successful." She assured her, but Ariel still shook with tears. "You really don't want to go, do you?" She whispered.

"You can't even imagine." And she instantly ran her fingers across a bruise on her knee. Kit sighed, wishing her friend would just tell her the truth.

"What if you were busy that weekend?"

"He wouldn't be too happy."

"But he couldn't stop you…" She pointed out.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Spend the weekend at my house. Your dad wouldn't be able to find you, if he decided to actually look for you. Just tell him that you need to rehearse."

"He wouldn't buy it, though. And if he did…he'd be even angrier. I can't even imagine how he would act when I do decide to visit, he'll be furious at me for not coming when he asked."

"Ignore him. Don't visit him, if you're afraid to be with him." Kit suggested.

Ariel looked at Kit, and she suddenly realized that Kit may have known more than she was supposed to. Kit looked right back at her confidently.

"You know what's going on, don't you?"

Kit looked down, at Ariel's scarred arm.

"I do." She whispered.


End file.
